Livestock Industry Opinions

The news last week that the ongoing trucking dispute over the operation of Mexican trucks in the U.S. has ended was welcome news to many producers of U.S. agricultural products. As a result of the disagreement, nearly $2.4 billion in retaliatory tariffs had been imposed on U.S. products being shipped south of the border. Although beef was

The future of beef starts with beef systems that generate a per-cow gross margin of $600 and hold direct costs to less than $400 and overhead to less than $100 per cow. After all, the future is what we really desire to know. Unfortunately, much of the future remains hidden behind a wall that we are not given privilege to peek behind.

I recently had the privilege of addressing California beef producers at their midyear meeting. The state has had one of its best spring grass seasons in years, so everyone had a smile on his or her face. I hope what I told them made them feel even better.

Boy, it really makes you wonder just how these guys in government think. This country owes more that $14 trillion and we are running a $1.6 trillion budget deficit, but Congress is squabbling over a few free trade agreements (FTAs) that would create more than $20 billion in commerce between

Marlene May Wood was born Sept. 10, 1933, in Susanville, CA, and spent her early years in Bun- tingville, Lassen County, with her parents, Lloyd and Florence Hoff- man, and her brothers, John and Floyd. She passed away Friday, June 24, 2011, in her home at Horse Lake Ranch in Susanville.

While USDA already has traceability requirements as part of existing animal disease control programs, the proposed framework goes much further to require animal tagging and tracing of all adult cattle moving in interstate commerce, even absent any active disease threat.

There is a thriving worldwide market for horse meat...but no one in the U.S. is able to start a horse meat businesses, create a single job, or help meet the consumer demand for an affordable, delicious, high quality protein source.

There is more volatility in the commodity markets. Two weeks ago, cattle markets were on a roll, gaining several dollars going into Father’s Day weekend with cash fed cattle trading at $108-109. Then the June 1 Cattle on Feed report came out and, the following Monday morning, the markets took off. It was starting to look like the

Records should confirm those mature-weight guesses and, factoring in average weaning weights, point out the most and least efficient cows. Ear tag numbers should convey age at a glance, and the oldest cows have made us the most money.

The recent Beef Improvement Fede r a t i o n (BIF) Conf e r e n c e held in Bozeman, MT, was a highlight for anyone interested in beef cattle genetics, efficiency and new technology. For background, beef production is the fourth largest U.S. manufacturing industry with $71 billion retail equivalent value in 2006 (www.

While the USDAs Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administrations (GIPSA) proposed livestock and poultry marketing rule is intended to provide a fair market, should it be implemented, it will be anything but fair to progressive producers, consumers and the cattle themselves.

For us, this has been a rugged winter. I know this because I have my tractor mechanics phone number memorized. This is not speed dialwere talking memorized and available at a moments notice. In my old age, I might forget my own phone number, but his is burned in my memory. One day, he and I were sipping coffee at a restaurant in town and discussing options for my aged backhoe.

The big summer video sales are around the corner and they are usually the market setters. Cattle markets have been in a decline over the past six to eight weeks, but appear to have stabilized for now. Cash fed cattle seemed to have drawn a line at $104, but that is far from what unhedged feeders will require to

In just a few weeks, the summer beef industry conference will be held in Orlando, FL. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Federation of State Beef Councils, state cattlemen’s associations and just about anyone else connected to the beef industry will meet to set policy and

There have been quite a few political issues on the front burner lately that have a huge effect on the cattle and beef industry. The political winds appear to be shifting, and a pro-business environment seems to be slowly developing. It seems that lawmakers are at least acting serious

This week (May 30-June 3, 2011), we are honoring two engines in our nations diverse economy: trade and the American beef industry. These two engines at first look may not seem like a natural fit. However, it is telling that World Trade Week occurs during American Beef Month.

The fed cattle markets have been ugly the past month, down $19 in seven weeks. Many market analysts were expecting a decline going into the summer and forecast a typical seasonal decline around 15 percent by July. This average decline would have placed the market in the neighborhood of $105 from

When you breed or turn out bulls with heifers or cows, you have certain expectations. Ideally, you want each of them to become pregnant, deliver an unassisted, healthy calf, and raise it to half its mommas weight six months later.

The beef business hit some positive returns, according to the North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Education Program (www.ndfarmmanagement. com) and FINBIN (www. finbin.umn.edu/) farm financial database from the Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota.